Still Waiting for New Royalty in Men’s Game

MELBOURNE, Australia — One court on Saturday at the Australian Open provided a window into the future of men’s tennis, the possibilities and pitfalls on display.

Here was Grigor Dimitrov, the Bulgarian once cast as the next Roger Federer, for years known as Baby Fed, with that smooth one-handed backhand, now dating Maria Sharapova. His opponent? Milos Raonic, the Canadian with a serve as big as his 6-foot-5 frame.

Raonic is 23 years old, Dimitrov 22. Both are considered potential superstars, capable in the not-too-distant future of breaking apart the stranglehold four players have held on men’s tennis for the better part of nine seasons, especially at Grand Slam tournaments. They are, of course, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Federer. (All four have advanced to the fourth round here.)

Dimitrov and Raonic could join them at the top, could sprinkle some variety into a sport in which four men have stood so far above the remainder of the field for so long.

Or they could never fulfill such promise, like Donald Young. He went from future star to the Challenger circuit, from junior championships to a 17-match losing streak. That is the thing about the next era of men’s tennis: There are no certain bets.

“With the Big Four, we’ve skipped, like, two generations almost,” said Brad Gilbert, the ESPN analyst. “Now more than ever, we need an infusion of youth. It’s very rare what’s happened over the last 10 years.”

He was asked for a comparable period, a similar sustained run. He thought for a second. There is none, he said.

Young, like Raonic and Dimitrov, also played at Margaret Court Arena on Saturday. His three wins this season before Saturday had exceeded his 2013 total in ATP World Tour main draws. He appeared to be on another upswing, as he was at the United States Open in 2011, before everything fell apart again.

Dimitrov can understand the weight of expectations. He is that talented. He hit perhaps the shot of the tournament in a fourth-set tiebreaker against Raonic, a sublime one-handed backhand struck on the run that nicked the outside of the sideline.

Dimitrov won junior titles at Wimbledon and the United States Open and ascended to No. 1 in the juniors. He preferred pink tennis shoes, his game marked by flamboyance. Yet he had not fought into the second week of a Grand Slam tournament until Saturday, when he dropped Raonic in what could become an era-defining rivalry, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10).

In victory, Dimitrov again credited Roger Rasheed, an Australian who worked previously with Lleyton Hewitt, Gaël Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. According to The Age of Melbourne, Rasheed told Dimitrov to drop the pink. He had “Baby Fed” removed from Dimitrov’s official biography. Sure, Dimitrov resembled Federer in style, the graceful movement, the backhand, but he wanted to be different.

Someone asked him Saturday about all the pressure, all that weight. “They play in my head some,” Dimitrov said, and by “they” he meant the expectations. “It’s not easy. Of course, everybody would talk. Everybody would say whatever. It’s tough to have that pressure on your shoulders.”

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Raonic is among the promising young players in tennis.CreditMade Nagi/European Pressphoto Agency

Dimitrov later took another question about Baby Fed, which seemed to annoy him. The reporter wanted to know if he felt that the nickname had been permanently shelved. He noted that the reporter had seconds ago referred to him that way. He said he had been clear.

“My name is Grigor,” he said.

Dimitrov dictated the pace against Raonic, but Raonic stayed close behind a serve that sounded like a gunshot when delivered. Whenever Dimitrov could extend a rally beyond 10 or so shots, he had to feel good about his chances. Then, inevitably, came another serve, boomed wide or down the middle or at the body.

Raonic, seeded 11th, grew up in Brampton, Ontario, practicing outside, at night, in temperatures better suited for an icebox. He studied videotapes of Pete Sampras and trained all over Canada and reached a career-high rank of No. 10 last August.

With that serve, with that ranking, Raonic became a popular contender for the next, next era of men’s tennis. He also teamed with a new coach, Ivan Ljubicic. Their stated goal: Advance deeper into Grand Slam events. Their latest setback: Saturday.

Upon arrival for this tournament, Raonic told reporters he had visited a local aquarium and had swum with sharks. As The Globe and Mail of Toronto noted, he will find a parallel in the upper realm of the men’s tour. That is the thing about the next era of men’s tennis. The last era, the current era, will not end.

The Big Four have won 34 combined singles titles in the last 35 Grand Slam tournaments. Only Juan Martín del Potro interrupted their streak, with a triumph at the United States Open in 2009. At 25, he is the youngest player in the top 10, but even his story is somewhat cautionary, his career fraught with injuries since that Open. He lost here in the second round, the biggest upset of the first week of the tournament.

Federer is 32, but Nadal is only 27, Murray and Djokovic both 26. Despite some hiccups — Federer recently switched rackets and coaches; Murray had back surgery; Nadal missed much of early 2013 with injuries — their era shows few signs of ending anytime soon.

Then there is Young, part of the next era of men’s tennis before his results led to a revocation of his membership card. He turned professional at 14 and signed a Nike contract at 15. But that never really translated, and for years he was forced to defend his practice habits and his choice of coaches (his mother). In 2012, he lost 17 straight matches, and yet there are always flashes that remind the tennis world of his prodigious talent.

Saturday was the perfect example. Young wore a bright lime green shirt on court against Kei Nishikori of Japan, once Young’s contemporary, now the No. 16 seed.

Young swung to an early lead. He attacked the net, volleyed with abandon, looped forehands for winners down the line. He led, 5-2, in the first set. He lost five games. The crowd, filled with flags from Japan, rowdy from the outset, cheered loudly enough to be scolded multiple times by the chair umpire. The arena was as festive as Young’s shirt. Nishikori won all but one game the rest of the match.

Young met with reporters after he received treatment for a strained pectoral muscle. He calmly, politely, answered all the usual questions. He grew up playing with Nishikori and Raonic, slightly older than Dimitrov. He said their generation was “definitely getting closer to the top.”

He was asked if he felt burdened as the last American men’s singles player left here. He did not.

“I had that for a while when I was younger, and it didn’t work well,” Young said.

That is the thing about the next era of men’s tennis. The search continues.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page SP5 of the New York edition with the headline: Still Waiting for New Royalty in Men’s Game. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe